In December, a photo competition took place during the annual light art festival Nobel Week Lights. Now the winner has been announced. Out of more than 700 entries and ten finalists, a clear winner emerged – Donato Chieppa, with his atmospheric photo of the artwork Royal Sky.
“It feels amazing and very meaningful to me,” Chieppa says about the win. “I put a lot of emotion and effort into my work, so being recognised in this way is very motivating.”
Despite a festival marked by rain and stormy weather, 1.56 million visits were made to the light installations during the festival week in 2025. One of those who braved the weather to go out and see the artworks was Donato Chieppa. For him, the rain also played a role in the winning image.
“That night, the lights and the rain created a surreal atmosphere. The reflections in the puddles, the projected lights, and the city background all came together in a way that made an ordinary street feel almost magical,” he explains. “What drew me in was how the artwork transformed the space through its projected lights. On that cold, rainy night, the lights above and the reflections in the puddles created two layers that framed the subject and gave the scene an almost surreal feeling – a cinematic moment.”
In addition to photography, Chieppa works as an engineer. He moved from Italy to Sweden ten years ago and lives here with his daughter, and credits his Italian background for giving him the chance to experience Stockholm from a different perspective.
“Coming from Italy gives me a different perspective on the city, its light, its seasons and the way people move through it, something I try to capture in my photography journey.”
The light artwork that Chieppa captured is called Royal Sky, created by Latvian artist Janis Petersons (Artistic Latvia). The piece reflected the movements of the northern lights across the sky through laser projections in Kungsträdgården and was one of the 19 light artworks displayed in the city center and in Tensta during the festival.
Visitor surveys
The Nobel Prize Museum enlisted research firms Ipsos and Exquiro to gather more information about visitors’ experiences of Nobel Week Lights and to estimate how many people attended the festival in December 2025. Ipsos conducted a digital survey for residents of the Greater Stockholm area, while Exquiro met both domestic and international visitors on-site during the festival.
The surveys show that…
– 94% of visitors would recommend the festival to people in their social circle
– 93% of visitors believe they will visit the festival next year
– 80% of visitors had planned to visit the festival
– 54% of visitors had attended the festival in previous years
– 63% say they gained more knowledge about the Nobel Prize and prize‑winning discoveries
– The festival is visited by people of all ages and group constellations
The photo competition
More than 700 entries were submitted to the Nobel Prize Museum’s photo competition, and ten finalists were selected. The winner was chosen through a vote on the museum’s Facebook page.
About Nobel Week Lights
Nobel Week Lights is presented by the Nobel Prize Museum with support from the City of Stockholm, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the Swedish National Space Agency, Fagerhult, FAM AB, Grand Hôtel Stockholm, Einar Mattsson AB, Erling-Persson Foundation, and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, as well as numerous other partners. The festival is initiated, curated, and produced by Troika AB.